Defending champions the Northern Bulls and seven-time winners the Canterbury Crusaders clash today in an extraordinary Super 14 semi-final. It will be the first major rugby union fixture staged in the black township of Soweto, about a 30 minute drive southwest from the South African financial nerve center.
The move from the intimidating Loftus Versfeld home of the Bulls in an upmarket Pretoria suburb to Orlando Stadium was necessitated by preparations at the rugby ground for this year’s FIFA World Cup. How times have changed with Orlando Stadium once the dilapidated home of South African football, a predominantly black sport ignored by successive apartheid governments.
The Bulls were once called Northern Transvaal, an exclusively white team including soldiers and policeman who fought to uphold racist government policies and whose supporters were all white.
South Africa has moved on dramatically from those dark days and when the Bulls had to choose a temporary home from two football stadiums and one cricket ground, they opted for the rebuilt 40,000-seat Orlando Stadium.
Bulls coach Frans Ludeke sees no problems with the move to Soweto as the Bulls seek a second success over the Crusaders in three weeks having snatched a 40-35 mini-league victory at Loftus.
“The crowd will come, the referee will blow his whistle, and it should all be the same. It will be a great privilege to play in Soweto and the significance of the occasion is not lost on us,” he told reporters.
Sowetans in the crowd used to short, slightly built local footballers are in for a rude shock as they stare up at the Bulls 2m “man mountains” like locks Victor Matfield and Danie Rossouw and No. 8 Pierre Spies.
A giant conspicuous by his absence will be lock-cum-enforcer Bakkies Botha, suspended for four matches this week after once again being caught charging illegally into a ruck.
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
Arminia Bielefeld on Tuesday pulled off a major upset in the DFB-Pokal by defeating defending champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2-1 in their semi-final. The third-division team came from behind after Jonathan Tah gave the visitors a 17th-minute lead. Marius Worl replied three minutes later and Maximilian Groser scored Bielefeld’s second goal just before the break. The home team looked more likely to add to that tally as the Leverkusen players looked jaded. “I’m just proud of this team,” Bielefeld coach Mitch Kniat said as most of the fans the small stadium sang around him. “No one will sleep in the city tonight.” Patrik Schick went
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that